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{
    "id": 763242,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/763242/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 168,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Member for Sigowet/Soin (",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Benard Kipsengeret Koros): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I take this chance to give my maiden speech. I thank the people of Sigowet/Soin for electing me to this august House. I assure them that I am here to work for them. I support the Motion. The sugar industry is the livelihood of the people of Sigowet/Soin. Almost three quarters of my constituents are sugar-cane farmers. They have suffered due to the collapse of this industry. It is high time the Government took the issue of sugar industry seriously because it is the livelihood of many farmers in this country. Let me also take this chance to thank my friend and neighbour, Hon. Melly, for bringing up this Motion. This is because he knows what our people are facing. The main challenges are largely importation of sugar to this country. This has forced our factories to collapse. The other issue is non-payment of our farmers. Most of our farmers have suffered. Most of my constituents take sugar-cane to Chemelil and Muhoroni sugar factories. There has been a lot of biasness even in payment. You find that people from my region are the last to be paid, and those from the lower parts of Nyanza are the first to be paid. There have been problems of cross-border tariffs whereby people from my region have suffered a lot of taxation when they carry their sugar-cane to Muhoroni Sugar factory. So, I support this Motion and urge the Government to take this issue seriously. There is the issue of bailing these farmers. The Government has been bailing other sectors of agriculture and we wonder why sugar farmers have not been taken seriously. Some have been given other subsidies like fertilizers and loans, like other agricultural sectors. Therefore, I support this Motion."
}